Maharashtra vs Karnataka: How the border row between 2 BJP-ruled states started?
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis refuted the claims, saying no such village has sought a merger with Karnataka.
A war of words broke out between the political leaders of two states after Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai claimed that some villages in Maharashtra's Sangli district, which are having a water crisis, passed a resolution seeking a merger with Karnataka.
However, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis refuted the claims, saying no such village has sought a merger with Karnataka. He had also said that no village in Maharashtra would go to Karnataka, as per ANI reports.
"No village in Maharashtra will go to Karnataka! The state government will fight strongly in the Supreme Court to get Marathi-speaking villages including Belgaum-Karwar-Nipani," Fadnavis wrote on Twitter.
Responding to these remarks, CM Bommai wrote on Twitter, “Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis has made a provocative statement on the Karnataka Maharashtra border issue and his dream will never come true. Our government is committed to protecting the country's land, water and borders.”
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar also condemned Bommai's remarks on the border dispute between the two states and asked Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his Deputy Devendra Fadnavis to "give a strong answer".
Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray also took a swipe at Shinde and said that he has no courage to speak against his Karnataka counterpart, according to PTI reports.
“Have we lost our courage as Karnataka chief minister is easily making claims on Maharashtra villages? Is Karnataka CM having any blessings from Delhi? Does the Centre also want the same thing?” Thackeray said.
After this, Maharashtra CM Shinde asserted that his government will not let even an inch of the land of Maharashtra go away to anyone.
“We are doing the work of giving justice to the Marathi people in the border areas. Not even an inch of space in Maharashtra will be allowed to go anywhere. It is our government's responsibility to solve the problems of 40 villages,” Shinde told reporters, as quoted by ANI.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar also said that the Bharatiya Janata Party "can not run away from the Karnataka issue."
The border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka started decades ago. When Maharashtra and Karnataka were formed in 1960, the Marathi state claimed that 865 villages along the border should be merged with it. On the other hand, Karnataka had asserted rights over 260 Kannada villages along the Maharashtra border.
It is majorly referred to as the Belagavi or Belgaon dispute, where Maharashtra wants to claim back the district along with 80 other Marathi-speaking villages, which are currenlty under Karnataka's control.
The Government of India has also constituted the Mahajan Committee to decide the reorganization of Belagavi, however, no agreement could be reached yet. The case now lies before the Supreme Court of India.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Business NewsNewsIndiaMaharashtra vs Karnataka: How the border row between 2 BJP-ruled states started?
First Published:25 Nov 2022, 08:46 AM IST
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